Sonic Adventure
|composer = Michael Kamen Shirley Walker |programmer = Tetsu Katano |platforms = PlayStation, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Microsoft Windows |released = PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube Microsoft Windows Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 }} |genre = Platform, action |modes = Single-player }} is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the Sony's PlayStation, and the first main Sonic the Hedgehog game to feature three-dimensional (3D) gameplay. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog Sr, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their quests to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds and stop Doctor Robotnik from unleashing Chaos. Controlling one of the six characters—each with their own special abilities—players explore a series of themed levels to progress through the story. Outside the main game, players can play minigames like racing and interact with Chao, a virtual pet. Following the cancellation of the PlayStation and Sega Saturn game Sonic X-treme, Sonic Team began work on Sonic Adventure in 1997 with Insomniac Games joining in. A 60-member development team created the game in ten months, drawing inspiration from locations in New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Rio De Janiero, Peru and Guatemala. Yuji Uekawa redesigned the characters for their transition to 3D, and features were added to take advantage of the PlayStation and Dreamcast hardwares. Sega and Universal Interactive Studios announced the game in August 1998; it was released in Japan that December and worldwide in September 1999. The game received critical acclaim and, with 2.5 million copies sold by August 2006, became the PlayStation and Dreamcast's bestseller. Reviewers lauded the visuals and gameplay, calling it a major technological advancement; some speculated that it could re-establish Sega as the dominant console manufacturer after the relatively unsuccessful Saturn. Others were frustrated by the camera controls and glitches, and reactions to its audio were mixed. Despite this, journalists have ranked Sonic Adventure among the best Sonic games, and it is recognized as an important release in both the series and the platform genre. A sequel, Sonic Adventure 2, was released in 2001. Sonic Adventure was ported to the PlayStation 2, Xbox GameCube and Windows in 2003 as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, featuring updated graphics and more challenges. A high-definition version by Activision was released digitally for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010, and for Windows in 2011. Reviews for these versions were less positive; critics felt the game was not ported well to newer hardware and that it had not aged well, while running at an inconsistent frame rate. Gameplay in one of the game's levels, Speed Highway.]] Sonic Adventure is a 3D platform game with action and role-playing elements. Players control one of six anthropomorphic protagonists as they venture to defeat Doctor Robotnik and his robot army, who seek the seven magical Chaos Emeralds and the evil entity Chaos. Six player characters are unlocked as the game progresses, each with their own story and attributes. Sonic the Hedgehog Sr performs a spin dash, homing attack, using firearms and light-speed dash; Miles "Tails" Prower flies, swims, using firearms, and attacks robots using his tails; Knuckles the Echidna glides, climbs walls, and punches; Amy Rose can defeat enemies using her hammer; Big the Cat is slow and carries a fishing rod he can cast; and E-102 Gamma can shoot laser beams. At the start of the game, the player is placed in one of several Adventure Fields, open-ended hub worlds inhabited by advice-giving non-player characters. The player character is guided and instructed by the voice of Tikal the Echidna. Through exploration, the player discovers entrances to levels called Action Stages, some of which must be opened using keys hidden in the Adventure Field. Once the player accesses an Action Stage, they are tasked with a specific objective, which is different for each character. Sonic and Amy must reach the level's end; Tails must reach the end before Sonic; Knuckles must find three hidden shards of the Master Emerald; Big must fish for his pet frog; and Gamma must fight his way through stages using projectiles as a defense. Some levels include minigames separate from the main story. These feature different styles of gameplay, among them rail shooting, racing, and sandboarding. Some minigames can only be accessed with particular characters. Fulfilling certain objectives allows the player to obtain bonus items. Unlocked minigames and stages the player has completed can be accessed from a Trial Mode on the title screen. Like previous Sonic the Hedgehog games, players collect golden rings as a form of health: if the player character is in possession of rings when they are hit by an enemy or other hazard, they will survive, but their rings will scatter and blink before disappearing. Canisters containing power-ups such as speed shoes, additional rings, invincibility, and elemental shields are also hidden in levels. In several stages, the player engages Robotnik or Chaos in a boss fight and must deplete the boss's health meter to proceed. Each character starts with a limited number of lives, and the player loses a life if the character drowns, gets crushed, or is hit without any rings in their possession. The game ends when the player runs out of lives. Lives can be replenished by collecting 100 rings or a 1-up. Players may also discover Chao Gardens, hidden, protective environments inhabited by Chao, a virtual pet. Players can hatch, name, and interact with a Chao, and raise the status of their Chao by giving it small animals found by defeating robots. The Dreamcast's handheld Visual Memory Unit (VMU) allows the player to download the minigame Chao Adventure, in which their Chao walks through a course to evolve and improve its skills. Evolving one's Chao improves its performance in competitions called Chao Races. Eggs that can produce special types of Chao are hidden throughout the Adventure Fields. Players can earn emblems by playing through Action Stages, searching through the Adventure Fields, or winning Chao Races. Each Action Stage has three emblems that can be earned by replaying the stages and fulfilling objectives, such as beating the level within a time limit. Plot Characters :Main article: List of Sonic the Hedgehog video game characters The story is told from the perspectives of six different characters, each of their narratives intersecting with one another before converging in a final chapter. The titular protagonist of the game is Sonic Sr, a hedgehog and the apprentice of the master Ignitus with the ability to run at supersonic speeds who has returned home to America after being retired for the U.S. Marine Corps. His longtime friend is Tails, a fox who can fly using his two tails. Knuckles is an echidna with the ability to glide; he is the guardian of the Master Emerald. Amy is a pink hedgehog and views Sonic Sr as her love interest. E-102 Gamma is a gunner robot belonging to the E-100 Series tasked with serving his creator. Big is a giant cat interested in fishing and is usually accompanied by his friend, Froggy. The characters are aided by Tikal, a mysterious female echidna who appears whenever Sonic Sr, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, E-102 Gamma and Big are sent back in time, and also gives out hints to the player. The main antagonist is Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, an evil scientist who plans to use the Chaos Emeralds to conquer Earth. Aiding Eggman is Chaos, a liquified life-form who takes on more powerful forms each time he collects a Chaos Emerald. Chaos was previously sealed by Tikal after her father Pachacamac attempted to steal the Chaos Emeralds from the shrine, but has been freed due to Eggman's actions. Also aiding Eggman is the E-Series, a line of robots created by Eggman to facilitate his conquest. All of them have letters of the Greek alphabet as part of their name. E-100 Alpha (better known as Zero), the first E-series robot constructed as a prototype, is dispatched to find Amy's friend Birdie. Other E-Series robots, including E-101 Beta, E-103 Delta, E-104 Epsilon, and E-105 Zeta, are demoted to lesser positions following Gamma's successes. Story Tikal (voiced by Paige O'Hara), the daughter of the Ancient Echidna Tribe's ruler Pachacamac (voiced by René Auberjonois), discovers the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald, a group of mysterious emeralds with unlimited power. She befriends a peaceful entity known as Chaos (vocal effects by Bob Bergen), the guardian of the emeralds, as well as the Chao (vocal effects by Frank Welker). Despite warnings from Tikal, Pachacamac and the tribe attack the shrine, attempting to use the emeralds for world domination. After Chaos transforms into Perfect Chaos and kills the tribe, Tikal seals the entity and herself inside the Master Emerald. Three thousand years later in September 27, 1998, Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Kevin Kline) guards the Master Emerald on the floating Angel Island when Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik (voiced by Deem Bristow) shatters the Master Emerald and sets Chaos free. Angel Island falls into the sea below, scattering the Master Emerald's shards and the seven Chaos Emeralds. He resolves to search for the shards of the Master Emerald. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Sonic the Hedgehog Sr (Adult voiced by George Clooney, Teen voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Young voiced by Ryan O'Donohue) (who is wielding with M4A1 Assault Rifle with the under-barrel M203 Grenade Launcher), Ignitus (voiced by Gregory Peck) and Sparx (Adult voiced by Yaphet Kotto and Young voiced by Pamela Adlon) battles Chaos after witnessing an attack in Chicago City Hall by the local Chicago PD SWAT Officers and the Illinois National Guard. At the Mystic Ruins, Miles "Tails" Prower (voiced by Anna Pquin with scream vocals by Mary Kay Bergman) (who is also wielding a MP5 SMG and M1911A1 Pistol) tests his Chaos Emerald-powered airplane, the Tornado, but it malfunctions and crashes into the beach of Emerald Coast below in Long Island, New York. After Sonic Sr, Ignitus and Sparx rescues Tails, the four arrive at his workshop in the Mystic Ruins, where they are confronted by Eggman. While Sonic Sr, Ignitus and Sparx were successful in defeating Eggman, the mad scientist steals Tails' Emerald and transforms Chaos before revealing his ultimate plan: with the power harnessed from the Emeralds, Chaos will eventually become invincible and destroy Chicago and Eggman will build Robotnikland over the ruins of Chicago, but Ignitus managed to foil his ultimate plan by knocking Dr. Eggman unconscious and calls the U.S. Military to take him into custody in the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base for destroying the Master Emerald. Sonic Sr and Tails resolve to search for the emeralds while Eggman is in the prison at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, but eventually lose the ones they collect later on to Eggman (who escapes the U.S. Naval Base) and Chaos. Eggman then escapes again to his giant airship, the Egg Carrier, after which Sonic Sr, Ignitus and Tails then attempt to pursue the ship in the Tornado, but they are sent falling out of the sky with Sonic Sr's M4A1 was lost except Ignitus who dodged the shot and destroyed the Egg Cannon with the flame strike. Eggman then activates E-102 Gamma (voiced by Jerry Orbach), who fights E-101 Beta (voiced by Johnny Depp) during his training. Eggman has the E-Series robots search for Froggy (vocal effects by Frank Welker), a frog who has eaten Chaos's tail as well as a Chaos Emerald. Gamma finds Froggy but is chased back to the ship by Froggy's owner Big the Cat (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson). Meanwhile, Tails discovers another emerald and uses it to prepare the Tornado II plane to find Sonic Sr while Sonic Sr lands in New York City once again. While lamenting her time with Sonic Sr and Sparx, Amy Rose (voiced by Tea Leoni with scream vocals by Jennifer Hale and the singing voice done by Celine Dion) discovers a Flicky bird in possession of a Chaos Emerald and names him Birdie (vocal effects by Frank Welker). However, having discovered Birdie's location, Eggman dispatches the robot Zero (voiced by Lance Henriksen) to chase down the Flicky before he is distracted by the NYPD ESU and New York National Guard who opened fire on the robot. After Sonic Sr and Sparx turns down an offer to protect Birdie by threatening her with M9FS Beretta, Zero captures Amy and Birdie and detains them both on the Egg Carrier. Using the Tornado II, Sonic Sr (who is wielding with M16A2 Assault Rifle with the under-barrel M203 Grenade Launcher and Mossberg 500 Shotgun which he was taken from the New York National Guard's Stryker Armory), Sparx and Tails (who is also wielding a MP5 SMG) follow them on board and reunite with Ignitus. Knuckles also boards the aircraft after collecting pieces of the Master Emerald and seeing a vision of the Egg Carrier. On board the Egg Carrier, Eggman removes the E-Series robots (voiced by Corey Burton, Jim Jonah Cummings and Mark Hamill) for their failure before stationing Gamma in Amy's cell. However, Gamma witnesses Beta being rebuilt and Amy convinces Gamma that he should not work for Eggman. In a confusion of newly discovered emotions, Gamma releases Amy and Birdie. As Sonic Sr (who reunite with Ignitus), Sparx, Tails and Knuckles enter the carrier and destroy it from the inside, Amy is pursued by Zero and reunites with Sonic Sr and Tails before Eggman steals Birdie's Emerald. While Sonic Sr and Ignitus defeats Gamma, Amy helps him spare Gamma's life, but the ship loses altitude (when the U.S. Air Force Fighter Jets destroys the ship's engines by U.S. President's call) and Tails, Amy, and Gamma flee. Sonic Sr and Ignitus defeats Chaos, now with six Chaos Emeralds and his tail restored, and pursues Eggman (who is mortally wounded by Ignitus before his escape). Meanwhile, Big retrieves Froggy from inside Chaos before finding the Tornado II, and Knuckles steals back the six Chaos Emeralds; they both flee when it crashes into the Atlantic Ocean below outside of United States. Upon erasing his master registration, Gamma resolves to track down his brother robots. After freeing the animals inside the robots, he confronts Beta in his rebuilt form. Though Gamma defeats Beta, he is destroyed in the struggle and Birdie's parents (vocal effects by Mary Kay Bergman and Frank Welker) are released from within the two. Pursued by Zero, Amy travels to the crashed Egg Carrier in Atlantic Ocean and reunites Birdie with its family, but she is forced to confront Zero when he knocks down the Flicky. Amy destroys the robot and sees Birdie and his family off, vowing to do her best to earn Sonic Sr's respect. Elsewhere, Tails chases the wounded Eggman and stops him from detonating a missile in the center of Downtown New York City. Eggman uses the Egg Walker to attack New York City, but Tails defeats him. Sonic Sr reunited with Ignitus and then they navigates Final Egg, Eggman's base at the Mystic Ruins, and both confronts the wounded scientist in his Egg Viper. After avoiding contact with its missiles, Sonic Sr and Ignitus destroys the Egg Viper. The next day, Knuckles finishes restoring the Master Emerald, but Angel Island falls into the sea once again when Chaos attacks him and Eggman (who died from the wounds after he warned Knuckles thus disbanding the Eggman Empire for good). Chaos reabsorbs the Chaos Emeralds and locates the seventh aboard the Tornado II, which crashed after Big used it to escape the Egg Carrier. Having acquired all seven Chaos Emeralds, Chaos transforms into Perfect Chaos (who wipes half of the U.S. and G.U.N. Helicopters and later destroys the Egg Carrier II controlled by the autopilot), draining the Chaos Emeralds of their negative energy, and destroys the city of Chicago in a massive flood. The Chaos Emeralds are re-gathered by Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big, and the pink Flicky that fueled Gamma with the illusions of the two Dragon Guardians Terrador (voiced by Dave Fennoy) and Volteer (voiced by Roscoe Lee Browne). They bring the emeralds to Sonic Sr and Ignitus. Having taken each main character into the past numerous times earlier, Tikal demands that Chaos must be sealed back in the Master Emerald. Sonic Sr and Ignitus objects, saying that Chaos's heart would still be filled with anger and sadness if he were to be sealed inside the Master Emerald. Instead, with the cheering of his friends, the U.S. Military Forces and the people of the city of Chicago, Sonic Sr and Ignitus uses the Chaos Emeralds' still-present positive energy to become Super Sonic and Ultra Ignitus and face off against Perfect Chaos. Following his defeat, Chaos discovers that the Chao thrive in the ruined city of Chicago, quelling his anger. United, Tikal and Chaos disappear before Sonic Sr and Ignitus went to see Eggman's funeral outside the city of Chicago. In the post-credits scene, Revolver Ocelot (voiced by Martin Landau) returns to Washington, D.C. and calls the U.S. President George Sears (voiced by Jeff Glen Bennett); he was a double agent whose mission was to steal the late Eggman's disk of the disbanded Eggman Empire's specifications. Development Background and concept During the early 1990s, Sega was one of the most successful video game companies due to its Genesis console. Sales for the console were driven by the popularity of its flagship franchise of 2D platformers, Sonic the Hedgehog. During this time, series co-creator Yuji Naka worked with Sega Technical Institute (STI) in the United States to develop Sonic games. After the completion of Sonic & Knuckles in 1994, Naka moved to work with Sonic Team in Japan. STI began developing Sonic X-treme for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn,'' which would have been the first ''Sonic the Hedgehog game to feature full 3D gameplay. X-treme suffered a series of setbacks and was canceled in 1997. The cancellation is an important factor in the Saturn's commercial failure; without it, the system had no original Sonic platformer. Meanwhile, Naka and Sonic Team developed original Saturn games, such as Nights into Dreams. Due to the series' relative lack of presence on the Saturn, }} according to Retro Gamer, "by mid-1997 Sonic had essentially been shuffled into the background... it was astonishing to see that just six years after his debut, Sonic was already retro." Naka still wanted to make a 3D Sonic game, and felt that only Sonic Team should do it; for this reason, he refused to let STI use the Nights game engine for X-treme, a factor in that game's cancellation. In August 1996, Nights into Dreams designer Takashi Iizuka proposed a role-playing-style Sonic game with a greater emphasis on storytelling, which formed the basis of Sonic Adventure. Iizuka felt that Sonic fans had been let down because the team was not focusing on the series. Additionally, Kazuyuki Hoshino, who would serve as art director on Sonic Adventure, said he thought during the Saturn era Sonic had become outdated and strove to reinvent the character. Sonic Team started to work on Sonic Adventure with Insomniac Games in April 1997 on the Saturn with a 20-strong team. Sonic Team created the first prototype using the Nights engine, but the Saturn's limited capabilities made development difficult. Sega president Hayao Nakayama informed Naka of the Saturn's successor, the Dreamcast, and he believed the new console with the Sony PlayStation would allow Sonic Team and Insomniac Games to create the ultimate Sonic game. When the team learned the PlayStation and Dreamcast was nearing completion, they moved development to take advantage of its greater quantity of RAM, stronger CPU, and the VMU. Not wanting to waste their completed work, they placed it as a bonus in the compilation game Sonic Jam, the final Sonic game for the Saturn. In July 1997, Sonic Team began redeveloping Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast, and the team expanded to 60. Richard Donner served as director on Sonic Adventure, while Lauren Shuler Donner, Jim Van Wyc, Dino De Laurentiis and Martha De Laurentiis produced. Although at the time one of the largest video games created, Sonic Adventure was completed in a relatively brief 10 months. Sonic Team and Insomniac Games undertook development in conjunction with the PlayStation and Dreamcast, aiming to release the game in December 1998, even if it meant making improvements after release. Developing Sonic Adventure at the same time as the system, which was not completed until two months before the game's release, gave Iizuka influence over the console's development; for example, he was able to request more RAM for the console specifically for Sonic Adventure. Art direction redesigned Sonic to appear slimmer and more "mature".]] Sonic Team felt challenged by the new hardware to recreate Sonic and his world in a new way. They began development using the character designs from the Genesis games, but quickly discovered the characters' bodies were too short and their heads too big, making them difficult to see. Yuji Uekawa redesigned each character to suit the transition to 3D and to give them "new, edgy, more Western" design. Looking to the animation of Walt Disney and Looney Tunes for inspiration, he made Sonic more mature, taller, and slimmer, and gave him longer quills. He darkened his blue color and gave him green irises in reference to Green Hill Zone. Uekawa tried to make Sonic look like a comic book character and compared the style to graffiti. After redesigning Sonic, he made the other characters fit this new art style. Because Sonic Adventure was a Dreamcast launch title, the team strove to demonstrate the console's capabilities with realistic graphics, which they felt would appeal to consumers. To achieve a more realistic feel for the environments, the core members of Sonic Team visited temples, jungles, and ancient ruins in Mesoamerican landscapes, including Cancun, Guatemala, and Peru. While Sonic Team members had to draw artwork by hand for games in the past, for Sonic Adventure they were able to use photographs taken during their visits as textures. The greatest influences were the Tikal ruin in Guatemala and Machu Picchu in Peru. The character Tikal was inspired by Peru and took her name from the Guatemalan ruins. The team also wanted to add elements unexpected in a platform game; the level in which Tails sandboards was inspired by a group of sandboarders in Ica, Peru. The 3D visuals were created using a Voodoo2 graphics chip. Design One of the biggest challenges the designers faced was transitioning the series' 2D style to 3D. In the Genesis Sonic games, the player simply had to go right to reach the end of a level, but in Sonic Adventure they could move in every direction. The designers created models for the stages before testing it as the player character, resulting in trial and error. Some levels, such as the Lost World, were rebuilt dozens of times; others referenced past Sega games, such as Ice Cap (Sonic the Hedgehog 3) and the Tornado levels (Panzer Dragoon). One particular difficulty was defeating enemies; in the 2D games, enemies were beaten simply by jumping on them, but this was harder to achieve in a 3D game. Therefore, Sonic was given the ability to target enemies in mid-air. Iizuka said the cinematic sequences were conceived to take advantage of the environments, "giving the player an element of discovery in addition to the platforming". Stages featured gameplay similar to the original Genesis games and were designed to take at least five minutes to complete. Sonic Team split levels into parts to save memory. Because ''Sonic Adventure had a stronger emphasis on storytelling than previous games in the series, the team implemented hub worlds to "draw the players deeper into the world." The hub worlds' emphasis on exploring to find new areas and power-ups was inspired by The Legend of Zelda. When seeing the completed level designs, Iizuka and Naka decided to re-purpose them for other player characters. Iizuka said they felt it would be "a waste if Sonic just quickly ran through the levels that we spent so much time creating". The first characters besides Sonic added to the game were Tails and Knuckles; Tails' stages turned portions of Sonic's levels into races, while Knuckles' treasure-hunting missions were designed as a contrast to the others' straightforward ones. Sonic Adventure was the first time Amy was playable in a Sonic platformer, and Iizuka aimed to use her to add tension, such as hiding from pursuers, that Sonic's gameplay could not offer. Sonic Adventure features two new playable characters, Big and Gamma. Sonic Team had already implemented an in-game fishing rod with no context or use, leading to the creation of Big. Big was designed to be giant and relaxed so the player would not expect something more intense. Gamma and his playstyle were created in response to fans who wanted elements of a shoot 'em up in Sonic and because of Iizuka's desire to include "some type of satisfying gameplay that couldn't be done with Sonic". Neither Big nor Gamma were intended to play a large role, thus both of their campaigns were short. Iizuka also wanted to create a villain who would have been impossible to make on older hardware. He settled on something liquid and transparent and created Chaos. Iizuka presented the concept to Naka, who was impressed. Chaos was originally intended to have realistic blue scales in his final form, but this was abandoned because of the technological constraints of the Dreamcast. According to Iizuka, the team tried to include as much content as possible. One addition was the Chao-raising system, which Iizuka conceived to take advantage of the VMU. Sonic Team had used a similar virtual pet system, the "A-Life", in Nights into Dreams; Iizuka used the A-Life as a base, while improving it with the VMU and the option to improve its skills. Iizuka hoped it would be made into a character players could touch and raise. It was also designed to appeal to casual gamers not familiar with games like Sonic, and to add replay value. The design took considerable time to finalize and had to be made as simple as possible because the virtual pet's look changes form as it evolves. Audio While some Sonic games, such as 1993's Sonic CD, contained limited voice work, Sonic Adventure was the first Sonic game to feature extensive voice acting. The decision was made early in development as the game was more story-focused than previous Sonic games. Sonic Team's staff had differing opinions about how Sonic Sr should sound. Iizuka recalled that the only element they agreed on was to avoid using an anime voice actor, favoring a film actor with an "over-the-top" voice. Sonic Team and Insomniac Games cast Jun'ichi Kanemaru as Sonic Sr. In an interview celebrating his 30th anniversary as a voice actor, Kanemaru said one reason he was cast was because of his ability to speak English. The English-language voice cast consists of George Clooney as Sonic Sr, Ana Paquin as Tails, Kevin Kline as Knuckles, Tea Leoni as Amy, Kevin Michael Richardson as Big, Deem Bristow as Robotnik, Jerry Orback as E-102 Gamma, Gregory Peck as Ignitus, Yaphet Kotto as Sparx, René Auberjonois as Pachamanac, Paige O'Hara as Tikal, Johnny Depp as E-101 Beta and Charlton Heston as the Narrator with the special guest appearances were included by Lance Henriksen, Mark Hamill, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gough, Keith David, Martin Landau, Tate Donovan, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Keith David, Roddy McDowall (in his final role), Bryce Dallas Howard, Celine Dion (for the singing voice of Amy), Roscoe Lee Browne and Christopher Lee. Sonic Adventure s score was primarily composed and conducted by Michael Kamen with the additional music composed and conducted by Shirley Walker while "Theme of TIKAL" was later written, orchestrated and conducted by Ennio Morricone. The group created the main theme, "Open Your Heart"; other vocal themes were performed by Marion Saunders, Dred Foxx, Ted Poley, Nikki Gregoroff, Tony Harnell, and Johnny Gioeli. The team preferred "hot, funky, and rock 'n' roll" music over the electropop of earlier Sonic games. De Larentiis, Donner and Iizuka stated the style was adopted because the PlayStation and Dreamcast's sound was a significant advance from that of the Genesis. Some tracks were rearranged from the 1996 game Sonic 3D Blast. A two-disc soundtrack, Sonic Adventure "Digi-LOG Conversation" Original Sound Track, was released in Worldwide by Warner Sunset Records, Atlantic Records and Nonesuch Records in January 1999. In May 2011, a 20th anniversary edition of the soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music and Atlantic Records. Digital versions were also released on iTunes and Spotify in September 2014 and January 2017, respectively. Brave Wave Productions released a vinyl LP version of the soundtrack including interviews with Blake Neely David Foster, De Laurentiis, Donner and Iizuka in 2018. Release Sonic Adventure was kept a secret during production, though screenshots were leaked in mid-1998 and plans for a 3D Sonic game had long been rumored. It was unveiled by Naka and the rest of Sonic Team on August 22, 1998, at the Tokyo International Forum. The team showed off several dynamic elements, such as a chase sequence from the first level and Tails' sandboarding sequence. Naka described the debut as intense, having "his all" to make it fit for release. On December 23, 1998, Sonic Adventure was released in Japan. The Japanese version shipped with many glitches and camera problems; several members of Sonic Team flew to Sega of America to patch the game, delaying its western release for several months. The localized version was released in North America on September 9, 1999, and in Europe on September 23, 1999. It includes Japanese and English-language audio tracks, as well as Japanese, English, Spanish, French and German subtitles. Online features—including Chao daycare and downloadable content (DLC) such as minigames and new level assets—were also added. The localized version was later released in Japan as Sonic Adventure International. Prior to the launch of the Dreamcast in the United States, Sega made an exclusive deal with Hollywood Video to allow customers to rent the Dreamcast console along with a non-retail version of the game, Sonic Adventure: Limited Edition. The promotion began on July 15, 1999 and took place at 1,055 Hollywood Video stores across the country. In 2001, Sega announced it would transition from a first-party to a third-party software publisher. Wanting to reach new players by creating an enhanced version of one of their older games, in June 2003 Sega and Universal Interactive released Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, a port of Sonic Adventure for the GameCube and Windows. While mostly identical to the original release, Sonic Adventure DX features updated graphics, including higher-resolution textures and more detailed character models, has a locked frame rate of 60, and sports a redesigned Chao-raising system that uses connectivity with the Game Boy Advance (GBA). It includes 60 new missions and the option to unlock all 12 Sonic games released for the Game Gear. Metal Sonic can be unlocked as a playable character if all 130 emblems are collected. These features were added to appeal to players of the original game. In September 2010, Sega and Activision rereleased Sonic Adventure as a downloadable game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, followed by a Windows release in March 2011 via Steam. This version is based on Sonic Adventure DX and supports high-definition visuals, but the new missions, Metal Sonic, and the Game Gear games were removed; the missions and Metal Sonic can be reimplemented by purchasing them as DLC. The game was also included in the Dreamcast Collection compilation in 2011, and is backwards-compatible with the Xbox One. Reception |CVG = |GSpot = 9.2/10 |GameRev = |IGN = 8.6/10 |Edge=8/10 | NGen = }} As the first fully 3D Sonic platform game, Sonic Adventure was highly anticipated. It received critical acclaim, and some critics called it one of the greatest video games of all time. It is the bestselling Dreamcast game; by August 4, 2006, it had sold 2.5 million copies, including 440,000 in Japan and 1.27 million in the United States. The visuals and presentation attracted wide acclaim. Arcade magazine described it as a "quantum leap forward" in aesthetics and visual detail in video games, and Hyper estimated they even exceeded what was possible on high-end personal computers. IGN called it the most graphically impressive platform game released up to that date, praising its cinematic sequences and describing it as "engrossing, demanding, and utterly awe-inspiring". GameSpot agreed and said only Soulcalibur s graphical quality surpassed that of Sonic Adventure. Edge felt the graphical features showed off the Dreamcast's potential to the fullest and that the game was "perfect" as a showcase for the system. The audio received mixed responses. GameSpot and Game Revolution called the full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes and voice acting well-produced and fitting, though GameSpot noted poor lip-synching. IGN thought the cutscenes were repetitive and voiced strong disapproval of the voice acting, declaring it "a complete joke" and "downright awful". IGN had a particular distaste for Tails' voice, and retrospectively called it among the most annoying to feature in a video game. AllGame was conflicted; they appreciated Tails' portrayal but found Sonic's and Knuckles' voices unfitting. GameSpot and AllGame praised the rock-style music, but Game Revolution described the score as "absolutely horrible". The gameplay was generally praised. GameSpot admired the straightforward, linear approach to the 3D platform genre and particularly praised it for keeping the basic gameplay of the original Genesis games. IGN said the game would keep players busy even after completion, noting its internet connectivity and other extras. On the other hand, Game Revolution said apart from being quicker, it did not advance the platform genre's design. Retrospectively, 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die called its environments vast and twisted, stating it "brilliantly" captured traditional Sonic elements. The Chao minigame was noted as a major departure from the gameplay of the series. GameSpot wrote that "while really just a diversion", the Chao were an interesting, fun addition, singling out their internet functions as a highlight. AllGame said the Chao helped increase the replay value, although it was "strange", required patience, and did not provide bonuses in the main game. Game Revolution called the Chao "a neat addition" and praised its use of the VMU. Some critics compared Sonic Adventure to Super Mario 64—Nintendo's "groundbreaking" 1996 game that propelled the Nintendo 64 and the 3D platform genre. Edge said Sonic Adventure was a worthy rival to Super Mario 64, but AllGame wrote that Sonic Adventure was not as ambitious and that those looking for exploration would be disappointed with its linear gameplay. They compared it to the similarly linear Crash Bandicoot but felt Sonic Adventure was more confined. Still, they praised the gameplay as varied and said its replay value was strong. Game journalists Rusel DeMaria and Johnny L. Wilson retrospectively wrote Sonic Adventure was not as strong as Super Mario 64 and "failed to catch on with players in nearly the way that [Mario] had done", though it had fascinating features, such as "the use of the Tamagotchi-like memory card to incubate eggs for little pet creatures" and "some good action segments".DeMaria, Rusel, and Johnny L. Wilson (2004), High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne, p. 312. . The camera system and glitches were criticized by many reviewers. IGN called the camera "incredibly" frustrating and inconsistent, and GameSpot noted it caused problems with collision detection. Edge complained the camera sometimes goes behind walls. Authors from GamesRadar retrospectively wrote that Sonic Adventure was "horrendously buggy", singling out falling through floors and getting stuck, but also said the sheer amount of content made up for this. GameSpot thought Sonic Adventure redefined the possibilities of the platform genre, and according to Computer and Video Games (CVG), "many things you thought were impossible to see and experience in computer games are now here". According to Next Generation, "Expert gamers may beat the game in only a day or two but, even then, the ride is worth the price of admission." AllGame wrote that the game was an impressive showing of the Dreamcast's potential and that it was among the best of the series. Edge said its criticisms such as scenery pop-up and instances of poor collision detection are "minor flaws in an otherwise very fine piece of work". Arcade and CVG speculated the game could save the Dreamcast, which had not sold well by the end of 1998. CVG also thought it could re-establish Sega as the dominant console manufacturer after the relatively unsuccessful Saturn. Rereleases Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut was received less positively than the original. GameSpot was disappointed the rerelease did not address the problems of the original version, irritated the graphics were only marginally different, and dissatisfied with its collision detection. They offered some praise for the extra features, such as the missions, but concluded players were better off playing the Dreamcast version. IGN agreed, calling it "a sloppy port of a game that has long been undeserving of its high praise." IGN noted its frequent frame rate drops and called its camera one of the worst they had ever seen. They said the connectivity to the GBA Sonic games added depth but concluded this did not compensate for the problems in the port. Nintendo World Report was more positive, praising the Game Gear games for retaining their multiplayer support and finding Sonic and Tails’ gameplay enjoyable. Reviews of the 2010 rerelease were generally unfavorable; most of the criticism was directed at the perceived lack of effort put into the port. IGN called it "so fundamentally flawed that it borders on unplayable", observing that the sections that worked best required the least input from the player. They criticized the lack of widescreen support but offered minor praise for its steady frame rate. 1UP.com lambasted the port for what they called its slapdash quality, criticizing its display, controls, and dated design, and saying it "feels like it wasn't even tuned for the Xbox 360 controller and its analog sticks". Destructoid was less harsh, writing that fans of the franchise would be able to enjoy the game but warned casual players that "all you'll find is a relic that was once considered greatness", and that it pained them to say that. Legacy With most contemporary 3D platform games focusing on exploration and collecting items, Sonic Adventure stood out with its linear gameplay. According to GamesRadar, as one of the first sixth-generation console games, it changed the industry "forever". Joystiq wrote that both Adventure and the original Sonic the Hedgehog had innovated—in 3D and 2D games, respectively—through effective linear level design and by feeling "good to play". In 2009, GamePro listed Sonic Adventure as the seventh-best platform game of all time, saying it had not aged well in certain aspects but its core gameplay remained among the best of the Sonic series. Several journalists ranked the game among the series' best, but Kotaku argued the addition of voice acting and greater focus on plot changed Sonic into "a flat, lifeless husk of a character, who spits out slogans and generally has only one personality mode, the radical attitude dude, the sad recycled image of vague '90s cultural concept". Many of Sonic Adventure s designs and concepts were reused in later Sonic games. The direction, basic gameplay, and Uekawa's modernized character designs became series staples. One level in the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog reboot heavily references Sonic Adventure s Emerald Coast stage. To celebrate the Sonic series' 20th anniversary in 2011, Sega released Sonic Generations, which reused aspects from past games in the franchise. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows versions contain reimagined versions of the Speed Highway level and the Perfect Chaos boss fight, and the Nintendo 3DS version contains a remake of Emerald Coast. Several characters that first appeared in Sonic Adventure appeared in later games. As well as appearing in Sonic Generations, Chaos is an antagonist in the 2017 entry Sonic Forces; it and Gamma are playable characters in the 2004 fighting game Sonic Battle; and a recreation of its boss fight appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. The Chao creatures also feature predominantly in later games. One of the characters introduced in Adventure, Big the Cat, became infamous for his negative reception. Game Informer considered his gameplay painful and boring, while Destructoid decried his portrayal as a "mentally handicapped imbecile" and his voice actor's incoherent performance. Big is widely considered by video game journalists the worst character in the Sonic franchise, and was named one of the worst game characters in a poll conducted by 1UP.com. On October 4, 1999, Sega announced that a sequel to Sonic Adventure was in development. Sonic Adventure 2 made its debut at E3 2000 and was released in June 2001. The sequel was designed to be more action-oriented than the slower-paced, story-centric Adventure and to give all the characters equal playtime. Like its predecessor, Sonic Adventure 2 received positive reviews. A concept for Sonic Adventure 3 was reworked into the 2008 game Sonic Unleashed. In 2017, Iizuka stated there were no plans for a third Sonic Adventure game, saying it would not advance the series' design. He did not rule out the idea, saying "If we can get the gameplay to evolve and get to a place where Adventure 3 makes sense, then you might see an Adventure 3 come out". In December 2018, Iizuka expressed interest in remaking Sonic Adventure. The plot of Sonic Adventure was adapted in the second season of the 2003 Sonic the Hedgehog anime series Sonic X. American licensing corporation Warner Bros. Animation, Amblin Television, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, American Zoetrope and Dino De Laurentiis Company hired a new voice cast for the English-language dub but the Japanese cast from the games reprised their roles in the original version of the show. Archie Comics also adapted the game in its Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. The comic offered an explanation for the altered character designs and established that Station Square was hidden beneath Sonic's planet, Mobius. Notes References External links * Official website (Japanese) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150302064335/http://sonic.sega.jp/sonicadvdx/ Sonic Adventure DX] at Sega's official website (Japanese) (archive) Category:1998 video games Category:3D platform games Category:Dreamcast games Category:Interactive Achievement Award winners Category:GameCube games Category:GameCube platform games Category:Now Production games Category:PlayStation (console) games Category:PlayStation 2 games Category:PlayStation 3 games Category:PlayStation Network games Category:Sega video games Category:Sega Studio USA games Category:Sonic Team games Category:Sonic the Hedgehog video games Category:Universal Interactive games Category:Video games developed in Japan Category:Video games developed in the People's Republic of China Category:Video games developed in the United States Category:Windows games Category:Xbox games Category:Xbox 360 games Category:Xbox 360 Live Arcade games Category:Zeebo games Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games Category:Films directed by Richard Donner Category:Films produced by Lauren Shuler Donner Category:Films produced by Richard Donner Category:Films produced by Dino De Laurentiis Category:Films produced by Martha De Laurentiis Category:Video games with screenplays by Philip LaZebnik Category:Video games with screenplays by David Henry Hwang Category:Video games with screenplays by Linda Woolverton Category:Video games with screenplays by Eugenia Bostwick-Singer Category:Video games scored by Michael Kamen Category:Video games scored by Shirley Walker Category:Video games scored by Matthew Margeson Category:Video games scored by Fiachra Trench Category:Video games scored by John Van Tongeren Category:Video games set in 1999 Category:Video games set in 1940 Category:Video games set in 1986 Category:Video games set in 1993 Category:Somali Civil War video games Category:Cold War video games Category:World War II video games Category:Pacific War video games Category:Alternate history video games Category:Video games set in Chicago Category:Video games set in New York City Category:Video games set in South America Category:Video games set in the United States Category:Video games set in Washington, D.C. 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